Metropolitan Anthony: Those trying to destroy UOC act against Ukraine
Metropolitan Anthony noted that even after the defeat of Petro Poroshenko in the elections, there is still an ongoing struggle against the UOC.
On August 16, 2021, the Chancellor of the UOC, Metropolitan Anthony of Boryspil and Brovary, said that those who are trying to destroy the UOC are acting against the interests of Ukraine, according to the Information and Education Department of the UOC.
Noting that the UOC is the only force to really unite Ukraine, Vladyka Anthony said that the Church can offer support to keep the state from collapsing due to various internal contradictions and conflicts.
“Taking this into account, one can come to an unambiguous conclusion: those forces that are determined to destroy the canonical Church act against the interests of Ukraine and its future,” Vladyka emphasized.
He stated with regret that even after the defeat of Petro Poroshenko in the elections, "the processes are similar, albeit less intensive."
Metropolitan Anthony said that the problem of illegal re-registration of statutes of the UOC communities in favor of the jurisdiction of the OCU is still relevant. These illegal actions are usually carried out without the knowledge of the UOC believers, this approach being used to legalize forceful seizures of the UOC temples.
“The latest example – on July 8, 2021, the chairman of the Volyn Regional State Administration, Yuriy Pohuliayko, signed order No. 406, whereby he re-registered the St. Nicholas community of Borochiche village, whose temple was seized by schismatics in 2019, in favor of the OCU,” the bishop said.
Vladyka also gave examples of new attempts of raider attacks by representatives of the OCU on the churches of the UOC. In particular, on July 18, 2021 in the village of Verbovets, Vinnytsia region, the so-called activists tried to seize the Holy Protection temple of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
“During the commission of the crime, the supporters of the OCU beat up the believers of the UOC and also attacked the priest. At the same time, it is shocking that the attackers not only brought along sharpened fittings, but also openly threatened they would ‘slaughter the parishioners of our Church like pigs’,” Metropolitan Anthony reminded.
He noted that “the reason for a new wave of aggression was precisely the illegal re-registration of the statute of the UOC parish by an official of the Vinnytsia RSA, who approved the documents of the meeting of the rural, rather than the religious community (as required by law).”
Earlier, the UOJ wrote that, according to Metropolitan Anthony, no effective dialogue with the OCU is possible until it returns all the churches seized from the UOC.
